Photo: Jeff Curtis
storytellin g
April Surgent
Describe your work:
C am e o
e n g ra v e d glass, d e p ictin g sto -
ries o f th e p e o p le and places
th at I h a ve in te ra cte d w ith .
Describe your process:
A ft e r
io y e a rs o f b io w in g glass, I
learn ed e n g ra vin g fro m [C z e c h
m aster en g ra ver] Jiri H arcu b a
at P ilc h u c k in 2003
. 1
h a v e n ’t
le ft th e co ld sh o p sin ce.
Pilchuck connection:
S in ce 2003,
I’v e b een a stu d ent, teach ing as-
sistant, teach er, and m em ber o f
A P A C [P ilch u ck ’s artist board].
W hat makes your work
unique: I
use glass m uch lik e a
p a in ter w o u ld use a b lan k can -
vas and c a rv e th e su rface o f it
to d e p ict sto ries.
Biggest artistic influence:
H arcu b a has b een th e sin gle
b ig g e st a rtistic and p h ilo so p h -
ical in flu e n ce on m y life and
w o r k .
Biggest challenge with glass:
It
is a fic k le m aterial. M a k in g sure
th at it is a lw a y s h a p p y is th e
m ost ch allen g in g th in g.
W hat’s next:
W o r k in g on an
in stallation [fo r th e B e lle v u e
(W a sh in g to n ) A r ts M u seu m ]
th at g o t m y w o r k o f f o f th e w a ll
has in sp ired m e to th in k m ore
scu lp tu rally. M a y b e th a t’s
w h a t’s n e x t?
How you’d like to be remem-
bered:
A s a p e rso n w h o h elp ed
co n tin u e H a rcu b a ’s m ission o f
m ak in g glass en g ra vin g
c o n te m p o ra ry .
fcb/m arn american craft 045
